Nothing lasts forever
by HalliwellMB
Summary: What happened between Patty and Víctor that destroyed their marriage? When and why does Sam appear? This is the story of what happened between Piper's and Paige's birth (who was never given up), ending with Patty's death. AU. NO MAGIC. Four sisters. Penny, Victor and Samuel.
1. Introduction

**Well, beautiful people, this is the second part of "The beginning" ( s/6679847/10/The-beginning) Is NOT required that you have read it before reading this one, even though it's very short -just saying in case you want to go and sneak peak- but here it is a summary of what happened there, if you don't want to read it.**

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Víctor Bennett and Patty Halliwell met in 1978, the first day of school when they were six years old. They became best friends, but at the end of the year Victor parents decided to move to Detroit and they stopped seeing each other. Nine years later (1987) the Bennetts moved back to San Francisco and Patty became Molly's -Victor's little sister- baby sitter, what reunited them. Two years later (1989) Patty's father, Allen, died after a gas explosion and not a long time after, Victor father died too. They started dating from that moment and things were working out pretty good, until Victor's mother decided to move to Detroit again just to make them apart, not succeeding. Both kept dating with Penny's and Molly's blessing, but not with Dorothy's, Victor's mother. After a year (1990) of being in a long distance relationship, Patty got pregnant from Victor. His mother found out and made him choose between them -Molly and herself- and Patty and her daughter. Victor chose the Halliwell, so his mother pretends he died, prohibiting Molly any kind of contact with Victor, what causes her a severe depression that expresses in bulimia. Prue is born in the last chapter (1992), and the epilogue tells about the moment when Prue and Andy -the Trudeau's and the Halliwell's were friends since they were neighbors- met a new born Piper (1994).

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**This is, basically, what happened in "The beginning". From there we start now.**


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

It was November 24th in 1994, Thanksgiving day to be more specific, and the Halliwell Manor was aware of that. The place was surrounded by low laughter because of the babies sleeping, and it had gathered Penny, Patty and Victor, as the Trudeau's.

"I'll go," said Patty when she heard the phone of the house ringing. She was the closest one to it, and she didn't want a three-months-old Piper to wake up from her sleep: it had taken her a lot of time that night, and no one was going to ruin that.

"Dessert anyone?" asked Penny, standing up from the table as Victor picked up plates and forks.

"Hello, it's Patricia Halliwell," she said, smiling to Jane Trudeau who was going upstairs to check on the two girls and her son Andy.

_"I need to talk to Victor" _said the voice from the other side of the line_._

Patty froze as soon as the woman started talking. Why was she calling? What had happened? She felt a chill running through her spine and both, her hands and feet got cold. Victor, always caring of his wife, noticed her pale face and confused expression, and within a second, he was standing next to her.

"Are you ok?"

Patty looked at him and just gave him the phone. Victor raised an eyebrow, taking her hand in his, asking her to stay: no matter what was happening, he loved her and he needed to make sure she was fine. What he didn't know, is that the one about to stop being fine wasn't Patty.

"Hello, you're speaking with Victor Halliwell".

_"Bennett. Your last name is and forever will be Bennett,"_ he heard, and he instantly knew who was calling._  
_  
"Mother?" he asked after a few attempts, and gave Patty a surprised look. She started picking her cuticles, as every time she was nervous.

Both of them knew that if his mother had called him after three years of zero contact, it was because something really bad had happened, or, that she was sorry, and they knew for sure that she wasn't.

_"I need you to come back as soon as possible, Victor Bennett"_.

Dorothy's voice sounded as demanding as always, yet tired and a little less harder than usual.

"What happened to Molly?" he asked immediately: if she was calling, it was because she was fine, therefore, his sister wasn't.

_"She's in the hospital. She overdosed mistakenly and she almost died this evening. I'll be waiting for you, it's your job as big brother to stand by her side when she needs you"_.

Everything in the room started to spin faster than his own thoughts for Victor, as the line was again free. His other had just hung up after telling him those disturbing news, as if nothing had happened.

"What's wrong?" asked Patty, taking his chin in her hand, trying to make him come back to reality.

"I need to go back".

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	3. See you soon

**This chapter is dedicated to Charmed Ojamajo ! Thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me!**

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**Chapter one: See you soon.**

Patty was carrying Piper in her arms as Victor had Prue. Both parents were holding hands, walking to the airport after parking the car. Victor had bought a ticket to Detroit as soon as Patty had told him _go_ two days ago.

"I don't want to leave you here" he said again.

"We are going to be fine," she insisted, caressing his cheek, "You'll go there, hug your sister for me and the girls and you'll be back soon".

"I hate the idea of missing Prue's birthday," he said, trying to rest importance to what had happened with Molly, just to be less anxious.

"Victor" smiled Patty, standing in her toes to reach his mouth and kiss his lips, "You have to board," she said, trying to make it easier for him by pushing him away just a little.

Victor nodded, his eyes were pure sadness. They had never been apart for more than five minutes for the last three years and the thought of having her away scared him a bit. For Patty wasn't more simple, she didn't want to wake up alone and have to wait for him to come back, but at least, she had the girls by her side.

"I love you so much," he said, hugging her tight.

Patty joined the hug, they tried not to crush baby Piper, and Prue pulled her father's shirt to call his attention.

"I love you with my life," he told her, including her in the embrace, "Promise you'll take care of Piper and Mommy?"

Prue nodded, smiling with a toothy smile. Victor took Piper in his free arm and kissed her forehead. He felt so bad for leaving her so young, but he'd come back soon.

Patty sighed as she held Piper back, then, he left Prue on the floor and her mother took her little hand in hers.

"No goodbyes, see you soon" stated Patty, smiling to him.

Their eyes watered immediately, they thought that, after a year dating in a long distance relationship before Prue's birth, things weren't going to be so hard, but they had thought wrong.

"See you soon", he replied, taking his bag and crossing the door to board.

Patty waited with the girls until they lost his sight. She didn't cry, she stayed strong so the girls didn't get nervous too. Víctor turned back all the times he could while he could still see them, but at certain point, that wasn't possible anymore.

"Where is daddy going?" asked Prue with a finger in her mouth.

"He is going to see grandma Dorothy and aunt Molly," she explained to her, for the tenth time, walking slowly so her little legs didn't have to rush.

"Ah..." she said, not sure about what that really meant.

Once they got into the car, Patty made sure her daughter were safe in the seats and then drove back to the Manor. She was really worried about Molly and her health, and she was sure that all the _accidental _overdose wasn't accidental at all, and that scared her so much.

Back in the Manor, Prue ran to the house to hug her grandmother.

"Are you ok, darling?" asked Penny when she saw Patty entering the house with Piper in her arms.

"Just tired mom," she replied, leaving the baby in a little crib in the conservatory, now known as the place where all the toys and baby stuff was._  
_

"Dinner is ready".

Patty just waved her hand.

"I'm not really hungry tonight, I think I'm just going to feed Piper and Prue, make them sleep and then go to bed too".

Penny nodded and hugged her daughter.

"I know it's hard for you, but he's going to come back before you notice".

Piper nodded and kissed her in the cheek before taking the girls to the kitchen. A few hours later, Piper was sound asleep on the left arm of Patty and Prue on her pajamas, ready to spend that night with her mother.

"Mommy," she asked, yawning as Patty placed her head on her chest, "When is daddy going to come back?"

Patty pursed her lips, she wasn't sure about that and the questions broke her heart a little bit.

"Soon. You will see that in a blink, he's going to be playing with you".

Prue nodded and fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes. Patty sighed, thinking about Victor. She turned off the lights and hugged her daughters, she loved them more than herself and for them, she was going to smile.

On the plane, Victor stared at the pictures of his family inside his wallet the whole trip. He already missed his daughters and wife, but he also knew that Molly's life was practically in his hands. He had only one chance and that was this one, and if he didn't take it, he'd regret it forever.

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**Ok folks, I know we didn't have a lot of action here but I promise next chapter is gonna be better :) Merry Christmas to all of you!**


	4. Good morning Detroit

**I wanted to say thank you to all the readers, the reviewers and the people follwing/favoriting. That means a lot to me.**

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**Chapter two: Good morning Detroit.**

The plane landed in Detroit at around midnight. Victor didn't want to awake Patty, so he didn't call home. He didn't either want to see his mother, he was tired, so he just took a bus to the hospital that was five minutes from her house. He leaned his head to the window, watching the street lights, thinking about how brave Prudence was: she had never liked night lights and she had never needed them. She wasn't afraid of the dark. She was for sure a special child and he was going to miss her birthday...what a terrible father he was, his kid wasn't even five and he had turned his back to her already. He sighed. He smiled then, thinking about Piper, he had never expected a life with a wife and two kids, he just hoped they became the best friends so they could support each other no matter what.

Fourty-five minutes later, the bus stopped. Victor got up from his seat and made his way to the hospital's door. He rubbed his neck, it was almost two in the morning and he was really tired, but he needed to know about his sister. He took the elevator to the third floor and reached to the counter.

"Eh, hello, I'm Victor Bennett, Molly Bennett's big brother".

"It's not time for visits," said the woman on the desk, visibly tired.

"She is only sixteen and almost died from an overdose..." he explained to her, affected.

"I can't sir, I'm sorry".

"I took a plane from San Francisco, I am from the airport" he said, showing her his suitcase, "I haven't seen her in three years. She's my only one sister".

"I shouldn't do this...but she's a minor, you're his direct relative..." interrupted a woman who was listening to the conversation, "Please, follow me".

Victor smiled and said_ thank you_ to her with his eyes.

"Don't make any noise, despite she's in a single room. She's stable, she will be fine." Promised the doctor placing a hand over his shoulder, then she left.

Victor nodded and stood by the door for a few minutes, unable to walk. His little sister was sleeping with an IV connected to her vein and the bed's bars were up, protecting her from falling or trying to run. He left his suitcase somewhere it didn't turn into an obstacle in case of an emergency and took a seat next to her. He didn't touch her, afraid of breaking her or waking her up.

"I'm back Molly" he whispered before bursting in tears. The girl before him was really sick. She had purple bags below her eyes and her skin was pale and dry. She was really skinny, her arms had some minor cuts. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore to see that horror, so he just closed them and held her hand inside of his.

A hand over his shoulder woke him up, it felt familiar. He opened his eyes and saw the same woman the night before.

"We need to check her, it's fine" she smiled.

"What does she have?" asked him, coming back to reality.

The woman pursed her lips.

"I'm doctor Garcia" she said, shaking her hand with his.

"Victor Bennett" he repeated, looking at Molly. He closed his eyes in pain.

"As far as we know, she has clinical depression. She has been harming herself, purging and starving for at least three years. What we don't know is the reason of this..." she told him, with a really sad face.

Victor's eyes filled with tears, he had already figured that out the night before as soon as he saw her.

"I know the reason of this" he confessed, pressing his eyelashes, "My mother has been pushing her since I left, and she's the only parent she has, I know her too well".

"I...didn't want to say this at first but, now that you mention that..." Garcia sighed, "Even when your mother and Molly have been saying the overdose was an accident, we know that she tried to kill herself".

Victor was about to say something when the voice of two people made them realize another doctor had appeared and with him, Dorothy.

"Oh, you arrived" commented his mother.

"Nice to see you" he said, "I'm going for a coffee" he added, leaving the room.

Dorothy watched him leave with a severe expression. She wasn't bothered at all, on the contrary, now her plan to make Victor stay was going to start.

In San Francisco, Penny had decided to treat her daughter and granddaughters and had brought them breakfast to bed. Patty was also playing "The lion king" on the VHS machine for the girls. All the room was singing "I can't wait to be king", when the phone rang.

"Victor" said Patty, jumping from the bed and running downstairs as fast as the light.

Penny smiled to herself and kept singing with Prue sitting on her lap and Piper with big bright eyes watching all the colors.

"Halliwell manor, this is Patty Halliwell" she said, anxious to hear her husband's voice.

"Hi Patty, how are you?" he asked really tired, but happy at the excitement of her voice.

"Everything is fine over here. I slept with the girls and now they're watching The lion king with my mom upstairs. I missed you. How was the flight?"

"Send them a kiss," he smiled, thinking about them, "She's...not fine" he said, changing his expression and covering his eyes with her hand trying to stay strong.

Patty listened to her breaky voice and broke as well. He started telling her all what Garcia had told him as she felt guilty for making brother and sister apart, for keeping them away when she needed him so bad.

"I'm sorry Victor" she said when he finished, "I really am. I never thought that..."

Patty put a hand over her lips, her tears were falling down her cheek.

"Me neither" he admitted, "I haven't talked with my mother, so I don't know what's going to happen now but I promise I will keep you updated".

"I love you" said Patty, knowing it was a goodbye for the moment.

"I love you more".

The line beeped and Patty knew he wasn't there anymore. She leaned her back on the staircase and sighed.

"What happened?" asked Penny from the top of the stairs.

"He's going to stay there for a while," she replied with a sad smile in her face.

Penny knew something was really wrong, so she went downstairs and hugged her daughter.

Back at the hospital, Victor returned to Molly's room only to find his mother waiting for him in the corridor.

"How you dare to come here?" she asked him, arms crossed.

"Excuse me?" he asked her back, hadn't she asked him to go? And what was her problem? She was his sister!

"This is all your fault. If you hadn't left us for that hooker who tricked you and made you believe she was carrying a child of yours, and you of course believed her because you're naïve!"

"I don't have time for this" he told her and just stood in front of her. He wasn't a scared kid anymore, "And this is the last time you talk about my wife like that, you heard?" he added, passing by walking towards the door, "oh, and if you can't say anything nice about your granddaughters, then just don't" he finished.

Dorothy stood there, shocked at that. What had happened with her Victor? That Patricia Halliwell had changed him and ruined him! All the hard work she had done with him for twenty years destroyed in three. But the war wasn't over: she was going to get Victor back.

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**Ok, I know we didn't have a lot of Patty or the girls, but next chapter is gonna change...new character on the way...does anyone remember a "Samuel Wilder" guy? **

**_Review(s)_**_** response(s)**_:**  
**

**LunaandGinnyBestFriendsForev er: **Hey welcome! And thank you SO much for your review, means a lot to me!

**Charmed Ojamajo: **Thank you for being so sweet! (and yes, "Honoured" is the way you spell it in the U.K). I'll go check your story ASAP, give me a couple of days and you'll see my reviews over there! Aw, thanks for recommending me :)


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